


this night has opened my eyes(and I will never sleep again)

by clearbluesky1515



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/F, First Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-08
Updated: 2018-04-08
Packaged: 2019-04-20 02:42:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14251350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clearbluesky1515/pseuds/clearbluesky1515
Summary: At eight years old Cheryl Blossom is afraid of one thing and one thing only: the dark.orThe times Cheryl finds comfort in the dark and the times that she doesn’t.





	this night has opened my eyes(and I will never sleep again)

**Author's Note:**

> It’s super late and I’m super awake. This is a lil angsty. Listened to some really heavy twenty one pilots while writing this. Feel free to follow me on Tumblr @fandomredemptiom blog. Make sure to validate me with kudos and comments.

At eight years old Cheryl Blossom is afraid of one thing and one thing only: the dark. She hates the way her mind plays tricks on her; footsteps in the hallway, shadows dancing against the dull glow of moonlight casting in front her window, the hushed whispers of people that aren’t actually there. 

Cheryl Blossom hates the dark.

And at first she thinks it’s because of Thornhill, because her house is so big anything could happen, anyone could sneak in and harm them, anyone could destroy them, and even at eight years old Cheryl knows that her parents have a list of enemies a mile long. 

But the older she gets Cheryl realizes that her fear of the dark has more to do with not knowing what comes next. Not having control.

And if there was anything that Cheryl thrived on it was control. 

And sure the darkness has brought her solace at times. It covered up the Heathers wandering hands at their sleepovers. It covered up the tears that would stream down her face every single time some idiot varsity douchebag made some crude comment about her ass or her tits. It allowed her to breakdown every single time her mother convinced her she was worthless. 

The dark hides everything and as long as everything stays hidden Cheryl thinks she just might survive her monstrosity of a family.

And then JJ dies and her world shatters and every time she sits in darkness, every time she sits in silence all she sees is the bloated face of the only person that ever truly knew her, ever truly loved her. 

Cheryl stays up for days, she can’t sleep. After they find Jason’s body every single action and mistake that led to his death plays on a continuous loop in her mind. And the dark becomes more than scary, it becomes stifling. It zips away all the air from the atmosphere. It takes the air out of her very lungs. And after she wakes up from frenetic few hours of sleep grasping her chest with tears streaming down her face. She clicks on the lamp on her bedside table. And leaves it on every night after that.

And she blames herself, because she loveless and selfish and destroys absolutely everything she touches. She could never be any good for anyone.

And then she meets Toni. Toni’s not perfect, she’s stubborn and rough around the edges and so fucking infuriating. But she’s also kind and sensitive and tooth achingly sweet to Cheryl. 

And by the time she invites all the girls over for a sleepover she doesn’t need a light on at all. Because she knows that wherever Toni is, she’s safe.

For the first time in her life Cheryl feels like she can breathe again.

And then, because it’s always inevitable with her, everything implodes. And she’s being poked and prodded with needles and falling into the deepest sleep she’s had in years. 

The room is dark and musty. Someone is holding a damp washcloth to her forehead . Her name tag reads Sister Marybeth. She’s warm and friendly, not like the other nurses before. The nurses the hair from her face, gives her a gentle smile and says:

“Don’t you worry dear, the sisters will fix you right on up. And before you now it you’ll have found the man of your dreams.”

And Cheryl recoils because who the fuck does this lady think she is?

“There’s nothing wrong with me. I don’t need to be fixed.”

And the nurse just gives her a sad little smile and walk out of the room. 

And maybe, Cheryl thinks, that she shouldn’t have said anything at all. Because now she’s lifting sand bags and her back is hurting, her feet are throbbing. The thought is fleeting, because no one breaks Cheryl Blossom, absolutely no one. 

And then she’s watching the movie for movie nights. And girls are kissing on screen and gay kids are being beaten up, brutalized and killed right in front of her very eyes. It makes her skin crawl and her stomach turn and there are tears pouring down her face. To make matters worse, now she’s hallucinating Toni’s voice. 

Except she isn’t.

And suddenly Toni is right in front of her and she feels like the only thing keeping her together is being in her arms. 

And then they’re kissing. Soft little pecks that feel like absolute heaven. Cheryl knows she could spend he rest of eternity kissing Toni. 

And they’re running for their lives. And her heart threatening to beat out of her chest. But she has to get out of there. She has to.

Toni saved her.

The go back to the trailer park. It’s small and they’re in the spare room of Fangs trailer because Toni’s uncle has taken to locking her out, yet again. 

She’s wearing a spare T-shirt that Toni bought her and laying there, cuddled in her arms she couldn’t feel more safe. 

Toni turns on the bedside lamp and Cheryl doesn’t even have to ask.


End file.
